Hosted at Hair Festival 2023, REALtalk will be back for a morning of inspiration and education made for leaders and innovators in the hair industry. Taking place at Carriageworks on Sunday, June 11, the event is in its third instalment, quickly becoming a testament to the conversations that matter in the salon community, with topics centred around sustainability, wellness, business and the future of the industry.

REALtalk will present an inspiring series of speakers and panels to leave attendees and their businesses transformed. The morning kicks off two full days of Hair Festival, where attendees can shop through the festival floor, learn in additional Education Sessions by leading brands and speakers, compete in live competitions, party at Wonderland and so much more.

Headlining REALtalk, Global futurist Anders Sörman-Nilsson will be the event’s keynote speaker and deliver its grand finale, presenting a session titled Re-Imagining a Sustainable Customer Journey Fit for the Future. As an adviser to Apple, Meta, BMW, Lego, Dyson, and Kérastase, with a host of other game-changing credits to his name, Anders is the ideal person to deliver a speech that will decode the psychology of the emergent Conscious Consumer. This will teach the salon owner how to re-imagine and re-design the customer journey from a digital perspective and beyond, with sustainability, loyalty and the bottom line as major focuses and incentives. Anders will talk through emerging digital technologies such as AI, ChatGPT, Dall-E and Midjourney to assess how they can elevate empathy and creativity, as well as assisting with mundane tasks, to be maximised for greater success.

Anders joins a bold agenda, hosted by emcee Lisa Conway of business coaching powerhouse The Zing Project, who will also deliver a speech predicated on valuing our work. Jane Barrett of education institution Pivot Point will present on The Power of Education, as it pertains to salon loyalty, teamwork and longevity to future proof your salon. Stephanie Mason of global hair extensions juggernaut Showpony will discuss, from her prolific vantage point, the Australian industry in a global context.

A series of panels will converse on significant industry topics. Pivotal in this is the Mental Health and Wellness in the Workplace panel, which consists of Paloma Garcia of Paloma Salon, Chris Hunter of Willomina and Jake Putan of Legacy Education, Michael Kelly of Salon HER and Jose Bryce-Smith of Original & Mineral. The panel will highlight considerations in the wellness and mental health sphere for both clients and staff, to gain new insights into this essential topic.

The Salon Improvement through Technology panel consists of Emma Winen of Shortcuts, Paul Frasca of Sustainable Salons, Kate Henderson of Elysium Hair, Adam Ciaccia of L’Oréal ACCESS, Helen Flaherty of Ezidebit – A Global Payments Company and Tamara Reid of Timely, who will discuss changing technology from every angle, including client services, education and more, all with the goal of salons becoming more profitable through these means.

The morning will also include morning tea and end with a buffet lunch to network and share ideas. REALtalk is one unmissable part of the Hair Festival 2023 weekend, taking place at Carriageworks, Sydney, on June 11 and 12. The Festival also presents a free MarketPlace of innovations, live competitions, the Wonderland party and a myriad of versatile and dynamic Festival Education Sessions. Tickets are available for individual events and sessions, or with the All Access pass that gives you free rein over the entire event.

Register now for this full weekend of hairdressing festivities to elevate your business, starting with REALtalk and then maximising every second of a frenetic two days. We’ll see you there!

For more information visit www.hairfestival.com.au

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